PEW OIT is an effective treatment for children with persistent egg allergy. A 30% weekly plus 5% daily increment pattern could be more effective and safer than one with only 30% weekly increments.

Background It is unknown which are the most suitable maintenance pattern and egg consumption to maintain the desensitization state after ending the oral immunotherapy (OIT). This multicenter, randomized, controlled trial compared two OIT maintenance patterns with pasteurized egg white (PEW), evaluating the egg consumption effect on the desensitization state after ending the OIT. Methods One hundred and one children with confirmed egg allergy were randomized: 25 to an egg‐free diet (CG) and 76 to an OIT year with PEW and two maintenance patterns, 38 patients to daily 3.3 g proteins (AG) and 38 to every two days (BG). PEW challenge (DBPCFC), adverse reactions, and immune markers were assessed at baseline, at the end of the OIT, and at 6 and 12 months later on ad libitum egg consumption (T0, T12, T18, and T24). A questionnaire evaluated the egg consumption at T18. Results At T12, 64 of 76 (84.21%) OIT patients had reached total desensitization (32 AG and 32 BG) vs 4 of 25 (16.00%) CG who passed the PEW DBPCFC. Thirty (93.75%) AG vs 25 (78.12%) BG patients completed an OIT year. At T18, 27 of 29 (93.1%) AG vs 20 of 24 (83.3%) BG passed the PEW DBPCFC, 96% consuming at least two egg servings/week. At T24, 97.43% OIT patients passed the challenge. Most patients had adverse reactions, more frequent in the BG patients; frequency and severity of reactions decreased through the study. PEW skin prick test wheal and sIgE antibody serum levels similarly decreased in AG or BG, but AG patients had greater increase in PEW sIgG4 (P < 0.05). Conclusions Daily OIT maintenance achieves better adherence, effectiveness, and safety. Two egg servings/week ensure maintained desensitization after the end of an OIT year.

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Hepatitis A virus (HAV) causes an acute infection and is usually asymptomatic in children. When clinical manifestations appear, these include choluria, jaundice, and abdominal pain. Although infrequent, extra-hepatic manifestations related to HAV have been described, affecting the heart, bone marrow, blood vessels, and other tissues.A 10-year-old boy from a rural area presented with a 15-day history of malaise, fever, and jaundice; laboratory examinations were compatible with HAV infection. The patient turned encephalopathic and was remitted to our center, where laboratory examinations showed a medullary aplasia and fulminant hepatitis requiring a liver transplant that was performed 72 hours after admission. At 24 hours post transplant, the patient developed a cardiomyopathy secondary to HAV, and intravenous immunoglobulin was administered. The patient is still alive and attending his medical check-ups.Although rare, extra-hepatic manifestations of HAV infection have been described in 14% of cases. The groups of patients affected are usually aged and present with high bilirubin levels. Acquired aplastic anemia and myocarditis caused by HAV are uncommon, and its pathophysiology has not yet been elucidated.HAV infection is usually asymptomatic in children, although extra-hepatic manifestations can appear requiring early detection and management.

Neurological disorders frequently affect walking function which is one of the most fundamental skills to improve quality of life and autonomy, and Lokomat has been a key piece for gait's rehabilitation. In this study, a diagnosis about the development of the Robot-assisted therapy rehabilitation with Lokomat in Colombia is made. The study was performed by collecting some anthropometric and demographic data of the patients that use Lokomat, followed by a survey of cognitive aspects. With the purpose to compare the current state of the robotic therapies it was found that in Colombia the benefits of this treatment have not being fully exploited. Regarding the cognitive aspects, most of the patients that use Lokomat as a rehabilitation therapy feel comfortable (47%), very safe (68%) and have a perpective of significant results with the therapy (68%). However, when compared the number of patients in therapy with Lokomat with the number of the population that has gait disabilities, it is found that few Colombians have access to this type of therapy.

Evidence regarding asthma’s impact on children’s daily lives is limited. This prospective and cross-sectional, observational, multicenter study assessed school/work and activity impairment in children and adolescents with allergic asthma and their caregivers and allergen immunotherapy (AIT) effects. Included patients were schooled children and adolescents (5 to 17 years) with allergic asthma due to house dust mites (HDM). Impairment of school/work (i.e., absenteeism and presenteeism) and activity was measured in patients and their caregivers using the Work Productivity Impairment Questionnaire plus Classroom Impairment Questions: Allergy Specific (WPAI + CIQ:AS). HDM allergic patients with school impairment received subcutaneous AIT with a MicroCrystalline Tyrosine-associated allergoid. WPAI + CIQ:AS and effectiveness variables were compared between baseline and 1-year post-AIT. Of the 113 patients included, 59 (52.2%) and 51 (45.1%) showed school and activity impairment, respectively, missing a mean (SD) of 37.6 (24.4) % and 42.6 (25.6) % of school and activity time, respectively. Twenty-six (23%) caregivers reported activity impairment and, of the 79 (69.9%) employed, 30 (38%) reported work impairment. Of the 65 patients with school/activities impairment, 41 (63.1%) received AIT, of which 21 (51.2%) completed 1 year of treatment. Effectiveness variables and WPAI + CIQ:AS significantly improved: Mean (SD) school impairment decreased from 39.7 (26.7) to 2.1 (7.1) % (p < 0.001) and activity impairment from 46.2 (34.6) to 1.4 (3.6) % (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Allergic asthma due to HDMs results in school/work and activity impairment in children and adolescents and their caregivers. One year of AIT provided clinical benefits and reduced school and activity impairment. What is Known:• Allergic asthma impairs children’s school performance and daily activities.• Allergen immunotherapy modifies allergic disease course and ameliorates its symptoms. What is New:• Asthma symptoms due to allergy to house dust mites impair children’s school attendance and productivity and daily activity and their caregivers’ work performance and daily lives.• Allergen immunotherapy with a house dust mite MicroCrystalline Tyrosine (MCT)-associated allergoid seems to provide clinical benefits, associated with decreased school and activity impairment, supporting it as an effective treatment option.

Background/objective This study aims to describe the course and to identify poor prognostic factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with rheumatic diseases. Methods Patients ≥ 18 years of age, with a rheumatic disease, who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were consecutively included by major rheumatology centers from Argentina, in the national, observational SAR-COVID registry between August 13, 2020 and July 31, 2021. Hospitalization, oxygen requirement, and death were considered poor COVID-19 outcomes. Results A total of 1915 patients were included. The most frequent rheumatic diseases were rheumatoid arthritis (42%) and systemic lupus erythematosus (16%). Comorbidities were reported in half of them (48%). Symptoms were reported by 95% of the patients, 28% were hospitalized, 8% were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 4% died due to COVID-19. During hospitalization, 9% required non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) or high flow oxygen devices and 17% invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). In multivariate analysis models, using poor COVID-19 outcomes as dependent variables, older age, male gender, higher disease activity, treatment with glucocorticoids or rituximab, and the presence of at least one comorbidity and a greater number of them were associated with worse prognosis. In addition, patients with public health insurance and Mestizos were more likely to require hospitalization. Conclusions In addition to the known poor prognostic factors, in this cohort of patients with rheumatic diseases, high disease activity, and treatment with glucocorticoids and rituximab were associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. Furthermore, patients with public health insurance and Mestizos were 44% and 39% more likely to be hospitalized, respectively. Study registration This study has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov under the number NCT04568421. Key Points • High disease activity, and treatment with glucocorticoids and rituximab were associated with poor COVID-19 outcome in patients with rheumatic diseases. • Some socioeconomic factors related to social inequality, including non-Caucasian ethnicity and public health insurance, were associated with hospitalization due to COVID-19.